Decline for JSE Main Market

Market activity ended on Thursday with the volume of shares rising 332 percent and the value 472 percent higher than on Tuesday at the close of the Jamaica Stock Exchange Main Market as rising stocks exceeded those declining but the market indices gave up grounds.
The All Jamaican Composite Index dropped 3,622.18 points to 440,922.44, the JSE Main Index declined 2,805.01 points to 388,891.73 and the JSE Financial Index fell 0.66 points to close at 94.95.
Trading ended with 56 securities compared to 53 on Tuesday, with 25 rising, 22 declining and nine ending unchanged.
The PE Ratio, a formula for computing appropriate stock values, averages 16. The PE ratio for the JSE Main and USD Market closing quotes are based on ICInsider.com earnings forecasts for companies with financial years ending up to August 2022.
Overall, 74,417,192 shares were exchanged for $897,364,034 up from 17,224,141 units at $157,007,733 on Tuesday. Carreras led trading with 83.9 percent of total volume for an exchange of 62.43 million shares followed by GraceKennedy, 3.1 percent for 2.34 million units, JMMB Group accounted for 2.5 percent with 1.86 million units, Wigton Windfarm chipped in with 2.4 percent after trading 1.78 million units and Transjamaican Highway ended with 1.6 percent, with 1.17 million units changing hands.
Trading averages 1,328,878 units at $16,024,358, compared to 324,984 shares at $2,962,410 on Tuesday and month to date, an average of 840,746 units at $9,673,135. February closed with an average of 392,520 units at $3,199,976.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows 12 stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and one with a lower offer.
At the close, Berger Paints rallied 39 cents to $12.15 with 5,859 shares changing hands, Caribbean Cement dropped $4.50 to $71 after trading 29,568 units, Carreras lost 54 cents to end at $8.35 with an exchange of 62,433,293 shares. Eppley Caribbean Property Fund fell $2.60 to $38 in swapping of 3,319 stock units, GraceKennedy popped 98 cents to $103.99 in an exchange of 2,337,519 units, Guardian Holdings rose 72 cents to $536 in switching ownership of 223 stock units. Jamaica Broilers advanced $1.23 to end at $29.98 with a transfer of 208,168 shares, JMMB Group shed $1.14 to end at $43 after an exchange of 1,862,118 stocks, Key Insurance rose 53 cents to $4.96 in trading 304,588 shares. Massy Holdings lost 50 cents to close at $1,949.50 with the swapping of 2,427 units, Mayberry Jamaican Equities shed 60 cents to close at $7 with 16,643 stocks changing hands, Palace Amusement dropped $165 to end at $880 with 85 stock units crossing the market. PanJam Investment advanced $4 to $68 in transferring 22,731 stock units, Proven Investments shed 88 cents to end at $34.47 in switching ownership of 43,981 shares, Scotia Group rallied 45 cents in closing at $34.45 with an exchange of 8,547 units. Sygnus Credit Investments gained 40 cents in closing at $15.10 after trading 3,151 stocks, Victoria Mutual Investments lost 70 cents to close at $6.30 with 855,007 stock units clearing the market.
In the preference segment, 138 Student Living preference share fell $1.25 to $6.50 after exchanging 138 stock units and Eppley 7.50% preference share shed 50 cents in ending at a 52 weeks’ low of $5.50 with 27,424 shares crossing the market and providing a 14 yield per annum and nearly 30 percent per annum yield to maturity.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.